I got interested in macros a few years ago, but found that counting numbers was just not my thing. I would find myself constantly thinking about food and what I was going to have next in order for it to "fit" into my macros for the day. That is no way of living. It's not sustainable. So, I backed off of it and ate intuitively being mindful of what I was putting into my body and how it was making me feel.
Fast forward a bit, I had been working out HARD but wasn't seeing the progress I thought I'd have. Keep in mind, I was still eating healthy, but I learned that I was not eating enough of the right things. So I decided to look into my macros again.
I looked at several calculators online and kind of made my own tweaking. But one thing I found that was consistent between them all was the amount of protein I needed a day. Roughly, that was about an ounce of protein per pound of body weight a day. And I was eating WAY below that.
I downloaded the free version of My Fitness Pal so that I could just get a rough idea of what I was eating and how much more I needed.
At first, I really just tried to track my protein and let the other numbers fall where they did. If I noticed I was a little low in the carb department, I'd easily figure out a way to get that in. Same thing with fats.
Slowly over the next few months, I watched my body transform. Seriously. My body was always strong, but now I was able to see it become more defined and it looked much stronger, too.
When I found out I was pregnant with baby #2, I decided to see how my body would respond while still counting my macros. With baby #1, I ate healthy and definitely indulged more often but noticed a lot of water weight and a significant (for me) decrease in my muscle definition.
During this second pregnancy, I noticed I held onto muscle much longer than I had with my first. I also didn't look as "puffy" from the extra water weight as I had with my first.
But what shocked me the most was how my body responded after I had the baby.
I'll be honest, I stopped counting towards the end simply because I was too tired and just really wanted a piece of chocolate cake here or there and not wanting to feel guilty about it not fitting my macros.
I learned that being consistent is KEY! You hear that all the time but it's so, so true. My body recovered much faster after baby #2 than baby #1 when it comes to definition and strength. I totally believe it's because 1) I was active all pregnancy (but I was active during my first, too) and 2) I upped my protein and fueled my body properly.
Despite my chocolate indulgence during the end of my pregnancy, I had fueled my body pretty well during the entire 9 months and my body treated me well right back.
While I don't strictly macro count, because for me that's not sustainable long-term, I am mindful of what my body needs and still try to be aware of the amount of protein I get a day.
For me, it was fun to experiment and see results. I know now that this works for me, but it might not work for you and that's ok! At the end of the day, it's all about feeling good.
A few of my favorite protein supplements:
THIS chocolate protein is the only protein I'll drink just mixed with water.
I've been loving THIS protein in smoothies, pancakes and baked goods!
THESE protein bars are so good and taste just like an Almond Joy - USE CODE: SARAHB10 for 10% off your order
https://built.com/collections/built-bars/products/coconut-18
Calculators that I looked at:
Clean Simple Eats App Calculator
My favorite shake recipe as of late:
Blend together...
1 cup oat milk
1/2 frozen banana
2 Tbsp PB2
1/2 Tbsp PB
1 scoop vanilla protein
A couple ice cubes
Top with coconut whipped cream
